as in partial
inclined to favor one side over another
a shamelessly partisan reporter covering the primary campaign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also partizan
1
as in adherent
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
partisans of the charismatic leader refuse to tolerate any criticism of him at all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in militant
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
a partisan of the revolution who was even willing to give her life for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sectarian
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices
she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of partisan
Irene Wright, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But increasingly, our public lands are being pulled into partisan debates that treat them as commodities to be sold.
—John Hickenlooper, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s a reason why strident partisans like Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton and progressives Tom Steyer and Katie Porter have consistently placed high in the polls, while moderates like Becerra, his frenemy Antonio Villaraigosa and San Jose mayor Matt Mahan have lagged.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Adjective
Georgia is preparing for election day, and one non-partisan race that may have slipped under the radar may turn out to be one of the most consequential in the state.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But increasingly, our public lands are being pulled into partisan debates that treat them as commodities to be sold.
—John Hickenlooper, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
Noun
The economy overall Beyond the personal, partisans have slightly different takes on what's happening to the state's economy.
—Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s a reason why strident partisans like Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton and progressives Tom Steyer and Katie Porter have consistently placed high in the polls, while moderates like Becerra, his frenemy Antonio Villaraigosa and San Jose mayor Matt Mahan have lagged.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
-
The new construction response has been partial and uneven.—
Jason Kirsch,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Kansas uses a partial reimbursement model to fund SPED.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Critics say event ‘hijacked’ by Christian nationalism Critics say Rededicate 250 is shaping up to promote Christian nationalism — whose adherents typically believe that the United States was founded as and should be a Christian nation.—
Peter Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Scientology is a religious group shrouded in privacy that has garnered attention for its celebrity adherents, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta.—
Joe Kottke,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Earlier this month, Amnesty International accused the military of killing 100 civilians at a market while targeting militants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, does not give a breakdown between civilians and militants.—
Suzan Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The Iraqi prime minister at the time, Nuri al-Maliki, was a Shiite sectarian with close ties to Iran, and many of his fellow Shia thought he could be relied on to listen to Iran’s wishes and find a way to avoid clashing with an Iranian proxy militia.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Both sides insist the other initiated the initial volley of gunfire that killed four agents and six sectarians.—
Joshua Alston,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2023
Adjective
-
And Roosevelt explained in his summer radio addresses of 1941 that if the Germans win the war, the United States becomes an island within the world, with hostile empires dominating most of the world’s landmass.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
-
Steward filed a complaint with human resources on June 30, alleging a hostile work environment.—
Ben Wheeler
May 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Online, this generally meant that creators encouraged their followers to pair a healthy habit with a fun or existing one (scrolling while walking on the treadmill, for example) or to just link two good behaviors together (folding laundry between breaks of your at-home workout).—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 May 2026
-
With more than four million followers and billions of views across platforms, Garg has built a global fanbase through her sharp, deeply relatable observations on family, culture, and modern life.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Since then, graduates have heard from prime ministers, presidents, Supreme Court justices, movie stars, civil-rights crusaders, and Taylor Swift.—
Jonathan Haidt,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
To be clear, McConaughey isn’t an anti-AI crusader.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
While Washington was private about his Anglican beliefs and a supporter of religious freedom for all faiths, Christian nationalists have been reviving the image, and with it, the claim that the US is an inherently Christian nation at its origin.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
15 May 2026
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However, the issue cannot be resolved by simply blaming those who lean toward the right or become nationalists.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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